Coraline the Witch Slayer and the Heir of Morpheus
by FossilQueen1984
Summary: While doing some research for a school project, Coraline and Wybie learn that they are part of a lager world involving the Lillim, Halloweentown, and the Endless themselves. It's the adventure of a life time. Coraline/Wybie friendship and Jack/Sally. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Coraline Jones, Witch Slayer and the Heir of Morpheus

A Coraline/Nightmare Before Christmas Story with nods to Stardust and the Sandman Saga

Written by: RiverSong1984

Disclaimer: I really own nothing mentioned here. All characters are the intellectual and artistic property of Tim Burton, Neil Gaiman, Henry Sellick and their respective studios.

Suggested Soundtrack: Overture from Edward Scissorhands, Hedwig's Theme

Chapter 1: Half-Forgotten Memories

Inside the white walled classrooms of the junior high classroom, fourteen 11 and 12 year olds were hastily scribbling down notes about the latest chapters in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events as their teacher, Mrs. O'Grady was busily packing her duffel bag. From where she was seated, Coraline Jones was staring out the window half paying attention. She had already read all of the books in the series, but they were part of the curriculum. Doodling some rather Tim Burton style landscapes, her friend Wybie Lovatt nudged her. Gesturing towards the teacher, Coraline quit drawing long enough to hear her teacher address the class.

Turning towards the children, she said to them, "As you all are well aware, I am retiring to Green Bay and I have one final assignment to give you. Don't groan, this will allow you to explore your family's history. From now until end of next month, I want you to research your family's background. No, you may not use any genealogy websites. All right, there's the bell. Good luck."

The bell rang, as everyone crowded onto the busses to get home. As the bus took the long way towards the Pink Palace Apartments, Coraline grinned excitedly to Wybie, "Finally, we get to do something neat in English class. As much as I enjoy reading Lemony Snicket, it was just getting boring. I don't think we're ever going to know every single thing about VFD. Besides, this will give me a chance to look into my family background. How about you, Wybie?"

Hopping of the bus, the two friends wandered down the back of the grounds near the garden and well as Wybie said to her, "Well, I doubt I'll get anything out of Grandma. I mean, she's told me who my parents were, but we don't have any pictures. Sometimes I wonder if she's hiding more than her 'missing' twin sister." A loud meow was heard from the bushes as Cat leapt up and purred contentedly. Giving her friend's problem a thought, Coraline conjectured that it was probably too painful.

Hearing the clanging of the bell, the two friends parted ways, and Coraline made her way through the garden. Normally, the flowers were tied down for the year and Mister Bobinsky's beets were getting ready to be harvested. Glancing down to where he planted them, Coraline noticed something was off. Skidding down the incline, she knelt and gasped. Sure enough, many of the beets had frozen and many more were missing. Looking around, Coraline spotted three pairs of fresh footprints in the icy mud. Making her way up the opposite bank, she followed it into the heather and farther into the deep woods. From where she was standing, Coraline could just make out her house. Something seemed to be tugging her, and standing there she felt a strange bit of déjà vu. Shaking her head, she ran towards home. Underneath the bushes, a pair of dark, blue eyes nodded knowingly. She would be back, they both would.

Reaching the front door, Coraline threw them open and pulled of her boots. "Mom, Dad- I'm home," she called out into the main floor. From their home office, Mel Jones replied, "Hi Coraline, did you have a good day at school? I bought some hot cocoa mix, and I can join for a mug in a few minutes." Coraline accepted the offer, and a few minutes later Mel was sitting with her daughter in the kitchen. After being freed, both parents made sure to spend more time with Coraline and for this she was grateful.

As they sipped at the warm drink, Coraline informed her mother, "Mrs. O'Grady retired today, and she gave us a really neat assignment; we're supposed to research our family backgrounds. Do you know if we have anything from your family from Wall?" At the mention of the English village, Mel frowned as though her daughter had strayed into enemy territory. Pointing upstairs, she told her daughter that she could rummage upstairs in the storage loft. Annoyed, Coraline rolled her eyes and ran upstairs. Staring out the window, Mel gazed towards the distant horizon and let out a deep sigh and murmured, "Oh Coraline, if only you knew how much I want to tell you…"

The space between Bobinsky's flat and the Jones's apartment was used for storage, and this is where Coraline began rummaging through the boxes. Most of it was from her father's side of the family. Groaning to herself, Coraline complained, "It's just not fair! Why won't Mom tell me about her family? It's not like we're related to royalty or anything, so why the secrecy? Besides, it's not like I haven't been away from Mom and Dad before." Pulling herself against the brick wall under a small utility window, Coraline shut her eyes and tried to remember what had been triggered by the assignment…

_It was foggy, windy and cold as Coraline gripped her mother's hand. It was late out as shadows danced in between the gaunt, leafless trees and gravestones blanketed in cobwebs. In the obsidian, angular hills a patchwork city came into sight. Letting out a sigh of relief, Mel pulled the grey wool shawl around her and pulled the hood low over her eyes. Scooping up the toddling Coraline, Mother covered her with an old blanket the color of old bones and dust. Coraline fussed at being hidden, but Mel continued her journey until she reached an elaborate estate surrounded by pumpkins and gravestones. They had finally arrived._

_Making her way up the walk, she was greeted by a low voice, "Melantha, you made it! Does Yvaine know about this?" "Cat, we've been through this before, I'll be safer in Midgard and Coraline is immortal," the blue-black haired woman hissed. Walking up to the heavy, stone doors she knocked. The doors lurched open, and the visitors were greeted by… a skeleton in a pinstripe suit, flanked with a ghost dog and a life-sized rag doll. …_

Coraline bolted upright, how long had she been asleep? Stretching, shebegan to search for anything she could use when she thought she heard something rustle nearby. Was it one of the dancing mice? Getting down on her hands and knees, she looked around for what made the noise, when she noticed a box half opened. "What's that doing here," she asked herself.

Ripping it open, she wasn't surprised to find crumpled up newspapers, but she was surprised by what was on the bottom. Scooping the items in her arms, she made her way into her bedroom and closed the door. Sitting down on the floor by the radiator, she examined the contents. There was an ornate pendant showing a lion fighting a unicorn, with the words, "Offspring of the Star, Melantha of Stormness." Holding it up to the light, Coraline could make out the exquisite detailing in the miniature. Carefully placing it on the bed, she looked at the two remaining items. One was a stack of letters, some going back decades. They were all addressed to her mother from somebody called 'Yvaine' and her mother's name was spelled Melantha, not Melanie. Coraline frowned, she had always been told her grandmother's name was Yvonne and her mother's name was not Melantha.

Ignoring the gift box, Coraline flopped down on the bed. So far, she had just had a strange dream that seemed way too realistic not to be a dream. Secondly, the letters and necklace mentioned Melantha, Yvaine and Stormness. Third, Cat sounded exactly the same as he had when she had been under the spell of the Other Mother. So, why was her mother so hesitant to speak about the matter, and who was the skeleton? Something familiar was gnawing at her subconscious, what was going on?

Realizing that the gift box remained unopened, she gingerly opened it and squealed, "What a cool hat!" Sure enough, it was a hat, and not an ordinary one. It appeared to have been made form an entire bat. Trying it on, Coraline was thrilled that it was a perfect hat. Of course, Mom called up to her that it was time to eat. Hastily placing them in her backpack, Coraline hurried off to eat.

The next day, Coraline's parents had business all day, so she and Wybie were at the bus stop early. Wybie asked excitedly, "So Jonesy, did you learn anything interesting about your folks? Grandma didn't give anything up."

Grinning, Coraline put on the hat and showed Wybie the letters and pendant. "It's weird, Wybie. Before I found these, I was up in the attic digging around and I fell asleep. In my dream, I was really little, like maybe a year old and my mom was taking me to this creepy town that belonged in a Tim Burton movie. Even weirder was that Cat was in it, he sounded exactly the same when I was fighting the Other Mother, and he called her Melantha."

Just then, the bus pulled up and as they got on, Coraline filled him in with what she has put together so far. Wybie had to agree with her, Coraline's mom knew more than she was letting on, and as Coraline had never lied to him about anything before he wondered if her dream wasn't a half-forgotten memory.

Walking into school, Coraline's hat got tons of compliments and when they sat down in the classroom, a loud, gravelly voice addressed them, "Mister Lovatt, Miss Jones, why may I ask are you discussing the Lillim on such a fine day? Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, I am Doctor Finklestein, your new English teacher."

Coraline and Wybie jumped back in surprise, how did he know about the Beldam? Furthermore, he was hunchbacked, in a wheelchair and thick goggles covered his beady eyes. _It's a disguise, but why_, Wybie thought as Coraline stared at him. He seemed familiar too, what sort of conspiracy had she and Wybie gotten themselves into now?


	2. Chapter 2: Questions and One Weird Chase

Coraline Jones, Witch Slayer and the Heir of Morpheus

A Coraline/Nightmare Before Christmas Story with nods to Stardust and the Sandman Saga

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing. All characters still belong to Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman.

Suggested Soundtrack: Drive Away/VFD- Thomas Newman, Exploration/Mechanical Lullaby- _Coraline _soundtrack

Chapter 2: More Questions and One Weird Chase

Just as Coraline and Wybie were about to interrogate Finklestein, the bell rang as the other students rushed to get to their desks. Upon seeing the new teachers, the students eyed him warily, afraid to say something impolite about his physical deformities. Coraline and Wybie were trying to figure who he really was, and how much he did know about the Other Mother. Only the mean girls were whispering, and when one laughed a little too loudly, Finklestein rolled over and whacked a ruler on top of her desk. WHACK!

"Think being in a wheelchair is hilarious, do you? Class, this girl is clearly stupid to behave in such a way. How would you like being like this," he growled lowly, his beady eyes glowing with gleeful malcontent. He stared the girl right in the face; she had but no choice but to face him. Eventually, she stammered an apology but flicked him off once he had turned his back. Coraline blinked, normally Laney would get her ears chewed off, but Finkelstein hardly seemed to notice.

"He's planning something," Wybie informed Caroline. She had to agree with him as the mad scientist was busily jotting something down in his notebook as everyone researched their family histories. As they were continuing to work, Dr. Finkelstein left the classroom for about 15 minutes and when he came back, he ordered the students to write an essay about why he was a better teacher than Mrs. O'Grady ever was. This threw everyone for a loop, was this guy off his rocker?

Before lunch, Coraline and Wybie had gym class and that day they were jumping hurdles. As usual, Laney was boasting about how far she could jump. Coraline was rolling her eyes in mock admiration, when something caught Wybie's eye. On the top railing, something seemed to be hooked up to it, like some kind of hidden lever. It was difficult to see, but from where he was standing, Wybie could just make it out. Nudging Coraline, she gaped when she saw it. So that was what Finkelstien had been planning. What did he intend to happen?

As it happened, Coach Jennings called upon Laney first (she happened to be failing gym class at the moment) and the girl took a running leap like a gazelle. At first, she seamed to be sailing clear over the top, when she was halfway over the bar- the lever snapped! Catching a loose shoelace, her left leg careened into the bar and spilt in half. If this wasn't bad enough, Laney flew face first into another hurdle, totally flattening her nose. Her front teeth fell onto the floor.

Unsure of what happened; Coach Jennings excused class early as she took Laney to the school clinic. From there, the injured student was rushed to the local hospital. Over lunch, Coraline and Wybie discussed what had happened. "Its poetic justice, but I think he took it a little to. far. Although, I sorta wish Laney died by being shot by a whole squad of Daleks, but that's just me," Coraline commented as she bit into an overly soggy tuna salad sandwich.

Wybie nodded, and replied thoughtfully, "That's all very well and true, but what if Laney died? Our English teacher would be a murderer and for all we know he would get away with it. He's disguised, but I still can't figure out why." Coraline nodded in agreement, she had to agree with him on that point. As the day continued, it began to sleet and hail so badly school let out early.

Of course, the bus ride was twice as long and Wybie and Coraline finished their assigned homework before they got back to the apartments. Because Mrs. Lovatt had left earlier for a two-week senior's cruise to Alaska, Wybie was crashing with the Jonses until she returned. Making their way towards the orchard, both kids were surprised not to see Cat there.

"It's been crappy out, I'll bet he's hiding on the porch," Coraline suggested as they made their way inside. Mel greeted them with hot cocoa and carrot sticks. Remembering yesterday's reaction, they told her about Laney's accident and left out the part about Dr. Finkelstein's involvement in the affair. Of course there was no proof, but they had their suspicions. Just then, the phone rang and Mom had to answer it. Well, now what?

Wybie suggested that they might as well look for Cat and if they were lucky they might find out who was stealing Mister Bobinsky's beets. Making their way down towards the garden, neither of them spotted Cat, but they did spot the criminals. The root vegetable bandits were children, seemingly a few years younger than themselves. There were two boys and a girl with green-grey skin and frizzy hair. Oddly, they were wearing Halloween costumes and were eating beets as they made their way towards the woods.

"Hey stop! Those aren't yours," Wybie hollered and like deer, they ran back into the forest, hotly followed by Coraline, Wybie and Cat, who appeared ahead of the robber trio when Coraline and Wybie headed into the heather.


	3. Chapter 3: Haunted Homecoming

Coraline Jones, Witch Slayer and the Heir of Morpheus

A Coraline/Nightmare Before Christmas Story with nods to Stardust and the Sandman Saga

Written by: FossilQueen1984

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies.

Suggested Soundtrack: Tempus Vernum-Enya, End Credits/Mechanical Lullaby- _Coraline _soundtrack

Chapter 3: Haunted Homecoming

Lock, Shock and Barrel continued to run into the woods as fast as they could while Coraline, Wybie and Cat followed in pursuit. As they sprinted into the deep woods, Shock started to complain about whose brilliant idea it was to even steal beets to begin with. As usual, Lock and Barrel began their sister and each other. Collapsing to the ground in exhaustion, they began bickering amongst themselves.

"Okay, whose brilliant idea was it to steal beets again?"

"It was mine, you blithering idiots."

"So it was your idea to get caught?"

"No, it was your fault!"

"Wasn't me, never is. It's all Barrel's fault."

"Shut your hole, bratling."

By the time the sibling's shouting match had devolved into a bare knuckle brawl, Coraline, Wybie, and Cat were trekking through the overgrown forest floor towards the vegetable bandits. Halting suddenly, Coraline whispered; "Hold on you guys, hear that? It's those gargoyles, I think we've caught them red handed." Wybie eagerly agreed and wondered what they should do with them.

Making their way into the clearing, Coraline and Wybie tackled the miscreant trio and bound them with ivy. Struggling, all three voices clamored loudly, "Please let us go, we promise to be good." Wybie and Coraline frowned, the kids sounded like they were lying, but with nothing else to do with them, the two older kids let them go. Meowing and hissing, Cat set his gaze on them and gave chase. Fleeing with shrieks of glee, Lock, Shock, and Barrel disappeared into a dense thicket, with Cat hot on their trail.

"Cat, come back here, Cat," Wybie hollered after Cat as Coraline kicked at some dry mud. Now what were they going to do? Coraline frowned, this part of the property seemed eerily familiar but she just could not place it. Wybie informed her they should probably keep looking for Cat, who knew what those punks would do to him?

Happily agreeing, the friends headed off in the direction they saw Lock, Shock, Barrel and Cat run off in. The trees grew thinner and their bark became grayer, as though they were turning into stone. Out of breath by this point, Coraline and Wybie collapsed and caught their breaths. As they rested, Wybie felt his jaw go slack and Coraline blinked in surprise: what was this place they had stumbled upon?

In the middle of where there should have been more trees were gigantic conifers with carved doors, each bearing of different holidays; Easter, Ramadan, Hannukah, Christmas, Thanksgiving/Harvest Time… and Halloween! As their eyes surveyed the Halloween Tree, the flash of a familiar tail renewed the chase. "Hang on Cat, we're coming," Coraline shouted as she and Wybie barged down the door. Closing behind them, they fell down, down, down into the overwhelming darkness.

Coraline was the first to wake up after the tumble. A sudden chilling breeze brought her to her senses as she began to poke Wybie in order to wake him up. Rubbing his head, he groaned, "Aw man, what a trip. Hey Jonesey, Do you know where we are?"

Both pre-teens walked along a jagged, steep path interspersed with gaunt trees and saplings, their fingerlike branches flailing in the breeze. The sky was a dull, overcast color and the sun had a dull, brownish-red aura to it. The surrounding hills were swirled in black and white, and the high peaks were curled. As they continued, Wybie began to feel frightened. Sure. He liked hunting banana slugs and the occult, but being here was unnerving. On top of that, he felt like someone was following him. Running, he raced to catch up to Coraline.

As they made their downa well-used road, Coraline's dark eyes were lit with excitement; it was like she had been here before. Wybie voiced his concerns, but added he was glad she was familiar with the place. Coraline shrugged as Wybie commented, "Hey Coraline, check it out- a graveyard!"

Sure enough, ahead of them was an expansive graveyard, complete with a few mausoleums and an ancient tree covered in nooses. Enthralled with the scenery, Coraline breathed, "It's just like a Tim Burton film." Wybie nodded in agreement and wondered where Cat had gotten off to as they entered via the back gate.

At this point, Coraline wandered off from Wybie, who was nervously slinking around before finding Cat. Scooping up the animal, he let out a huge sigh of relief, "Cat, I found you! Coraline, there you are. I finally found Cat. Are you certain this place is familiar?"

Cat chuckled mischievously and replied, "Well, it should be familiar to Coraline, as she has been here, many times." Wybie stared at Cat, had the feral feline just spoken? Staring at Coraline, then back at Cat, Whyborn Lovatt screamed bloody murder and ran off before Coraline could explain the situation. Running faster, he caught sight of Jack Skellington and Zero, who were out for a stroll. Greeting him with a friendly hello, Wybie let out another shriek and fainted. Zero floated over to the fainting victim and whimpered. Jack hoisted the boy onto his shoulders as they continued their stroll.

Meanwhile, Coraline had found Cat and they were walking around the graveyard. Seemingly in a trance, Coraline had to stop when Cat addressed her; "Coraline, I think its time I told you why you remember this place." Coraline hushed him as she knitted her brow in thought, "In a minute, Cat. I'm trying to remember something. Why would Mom lie about this place? Wait…" Hushing the feline, Coraline looked around before she darted off into some shrubs. Cat watched when he heard laughter.

Dashing to where he heard the noise, he saw Coraline lying on the ground, laughing uproariously as a ghost dog barked excitedly while licking her. Pulling herself up, Coraline explained to Cat the ghost dog was called Zero and he was friendly. Cat nodded in agreement when a skeleton in a pinstripe suit happened upon the scene.

Calling out for his dog, Zero barked happily when he spied his master. Barking in excitement, he made his way towards the skeleton holding onto the dead weight of Wybie. Slowly standing up, Coraline ran up to inquire about her friend. Seeing her, Jack closed his eye sockets and rubbed them. Kneeling to see better, he inquired, "Coraline, is that really you?" Coraline nodded and tackled Jack. "It's good to see you too, Jack."

Meowing, Cat had Coraline explain that Jack Skellington and Zero while familiar were hazy at best. Jack greeted Cat, and they explained they knew each other and this is when Wybie woke up. Rubbing his eyes, he let out a small squeak of surprise as the group made their way back towards Halloween Town. Coraline explained that they were familiar and not that frightening. "After defeating an evil spider-woman who wants to sew buttons over your eyes, monsters and demons don't seem very frightening anymore," Coraline explained. Jack's eyes had widened when Coraline said this, but by now they were walking through town.

The locals weren't surprised to see Jack and Zero, but the two children were strangers and they were about to ask who they were when they saw Coraline's pendant and the tow figures walking slowly behind the boy, a tale white skinned man with wild, black hair and a leather jacket, the other was a girl bearing an Ankh. Why were Morpheus and Death here? Who were these children?

The Endless were a common enough sight, but it appeared that they were escorts for the group. As they made their way towards Jack and Sally's house, the crowd became larger and numerous questions were being asked. Coraline got separated, and it was at this moment Sally opened the door. "Hello Jack! Your home, and how lovely- you brought guests. Where did they go to?...Coraline?"

Turning around, Coraline was greeted by the sad, soft voice that had comforted her so much as a small one. Memories flooding back, Coraline let out a joyful cry and embraced the rag doll as though she had finally come home.


End file.
